A PERIOD PIECE HIGHWAYMAN – er, woman – drama featuring a tiny folkloric companion named Billy Blind doesn’t exactly scream likely sell. But when you add that it’s been conceived and written by BAFTA-award-winning writer Sally Wainwright and directed by Ben Taylor of Sex Education fame, the imminent arrival of their new Disney+ series Renegade Nell makes a lot more sense.
As the acclaimed writer of critically lauded series like Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack, Wainwright has gained a robust following of fans obsessed with her dramas, which often centre on compelling female characters. To date, her creations for TV have been grounded historical pieces or contemporary police dramas (barring the 2013 one-off The Last Witch). But Renegade Nell has a twist…
The eight-part series stars Louisa Harland () as the eponymous character, the sharp-tongued eldest daughter of a tavern keeper in Tottenham, circa 1705. Having left home four years earlier to marry a sea captain, she’s left widowed and returns to her father and two young sisters imbued with ajustice upon those committing crimes against the unfortunate – such as highwaymen, or the entitled aristocracy.
